A Ruined Beyond
by RicoSuave-42
Summary: An unexpected once in a lifetime event changes the way everyone's perception of what the truth really is. Oneshot teaser to a bigger story.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the Batman Beyond or Teen Titans, they belong to DC Comics.**

The future. Where everything is shiny, cars can fly, from paper money to credits, almost too schway, but everything's not fair! We're prisoners in a state that we were supposed to be free in! I never agreed to this future that everyone talked so highly about! Why are we treated worse than third-class citizens? Why do we deserve to exist in this world, when we have no freedom to enjoy, no life to experience, but death and torture for not being the right religion or sexual orientation! "Terry? Terry!" A voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, Max?" I ask, remembering that I was in school and I'm working in a lab with Dana, Max, Chelsea, and Nelson.

"What happened, you blanked out on us, silly." Dana answers for Max.

"I was thinking about the y'knows." I make a gesture with my body alerting them to my internal thoughts.

Nelson looks at me like I'm some sort of crazy person, "You know what the government will do to you." He scolds me.

"I know, but I hate the way we're being caged in. I mean look at the school uniforms we're wearing, when we're attending a public high school!" I tell them, not realizing I was pouring a chemical that I hadn't paid much attention to.

Then, a physical reaction started happening, "Terry! What did you do?" Max asks me while she attends to the computer to figure out what's going on. Sparks of lighting flashes and manages to miss me by an centimeter, but that wouldn't matter because we were sucked in whatever thing I created.

* * *

As we transfer to the concrete ground, nowhere near Gotham, hell I don't even know if this is Gotham City! "Where are we?" I ask them.

Max looks at her watch and she looks confused, this is actually a first to ever see her look confused. "Weird, I'm not getting anything on my watch." Which would have available information at literal flick of the wrist. "I don't know." She's stunned by the lack of information coming to her watch.

The sounds of explosions coming from a nearby building alerts them to a sudden danger and I take off my school clothing to reveal my Batsuit. Luckily I've told my friends the truth, I know it puts them in danger, but I was afraid of someone finding out and hearing rumors about me being the new Batman which would have the government come for my life. It also relieves some stress knowing that they'll cover for me in an instance. I put the cowl on, "Stay here, I'll be back." They nod and I fly off towards the scene of the crime.

As I arrive, a person in weirdly dressed costume looks at in utter silence and he recovers, "So, I bat that can actually fly? That will not be a problem!" He lifts up his hands and a beam of light is released from his wrist and I dodge it quite easily.

"Is that all you have?" I taunt him, and he releases more beams of light at me. His attacks are rather way to easy for me to dodge and I decide to throw some batarangs at him and they hit him wrists, forcing the wrist-blasters to be dismantled from his wrists. Too easy!

I glide towards him and nail him in the jaw, knocking him out. I look at the money that I hadn't seen before until know and I pick it, then I lift the bad guy by the fabric of his shirt. I'm about to question him, but the sound of people landing on a nearby roof notify me that I'm not alone. I look at them and they look at me like I'm the one who helped this guy out! "Who are you?" A real-life Robin - that the Old Man told me about- glared at me.

"I'm Batman... Of the Future." I state, hoping there would be no fighting between us, plus I'm outnumbered so fighting wouldn't be a good option. But why does his team look so familiar, especially the half-robot looking one and the pink haired one? I swear I've met these people before! "Listen, this guy robbed a bank," at least what I assume, "and I subdued him. I was about to ask him something then give him to the cops, and you suddenly showed up."

"Man, we were totally going to blow Doctor Light's mind!" The green guy talks, I didn't know splicing occurred in the past. Then a- um I think a goth-like girl nudges him in the side of the stomach.

Robin looks at me a little suspiciously, "From the future, eh?"

I nod, "Look." I release both the stolen bags of money and show off the wings, "Enough proof?" I ask, hoping he'll believe me.

"I'm sorry but I need more proof that you're from the future." I start to think of Max and her watch.

"I'll be back-" I turn around and I see my friends waiting on the sidewalk. Ugh, I motion them to come over to my position and at first, they're hesitant, but they eventually come over. "Max, show them your watch." I order her, I think the watch's tech will be enough proof to prove that I-no, we're from the future.

"I assume these people are with you." Robin states and Dana nods.

Suddenly, Max's watch starts glowing, hell even overreacting to someone's presence, but who's? I see the half-robot man get closer and the watch goes berserk. This doesn't look good for us! Now, I throw a batarang accurately at her wrist and it dislodges from her wrist. "Thanks, Terry." I smack my forehead, then she realizes her mistake.

"Terry? Huh." Robin smiles, thinking he has an advantage over me.

I look at him and I give him the same grin and I'm just going to guess which Robin it is, "Right back at you, um," I sound _so _threatening right now, "Dick Grayson." His smile fades and forms into a glare. Good job at paying attention to who the Old Man's Robins were!

"I guess we're even." Robin states and I see the half-robot man pick up the broken watch. "Cyborg, what is it?"

"I don't even recognize most of these parts?" He shows us the destroyed watch, "This is considered a watch in the future?" I nod at the man named Cyborg who was shocked at the watch, I guess we're that advanced, but I know our technology can do so much more than what the idiot government we know is using it for.

"Look, we need to find a way to go back to our timeline." I reference my friends, but I notice stunned faces on Chelsea and Max. What's up with them? I'll ask them later, but when we do go back, I think we should be teleported back to school or something like that; I just hope no one is at school to see us come back from this past. I could use optic camo on the Batsuit to go invisible so that'll help me out.

One of his teammates takes this criminal away and I feel comfortable that he's going to prison. The villain's chest slowly rises up and down, I guess I do pack quite the punch!

"Raven, can you open up a portal back to the T-Tower, please." Robin asks a person named Raven - T-Tower! These are the Teen Titans Bruce told me about! Man, I guess we're around 30 years into the past! Damn, what did I pour in order for us to go far into the past! I mean, sure we were in a physics class, but I don't think I created enough energy to cause us to be transported to the past, but we're _this _far away from our own timeline! Bruce! He had something to do with me going into the past! I know it! He's the only to go through anything and still not have a single trace of evidence indicating that he was at the scene!

Then, this portal opens up and everyone starts walking through there. We enter the tower and the view they have is amazing, the ocean shining, I thought I would never see anything this perfect. They don't know how good they have it in this time period. This is something I would never take for granted! "I don't know if thing will work." Cyborg says and I see some kind of proto-type of a time traveling device.

I take a good look at it and it doesn't allow for pinpoint accuracy. I turn towards Max, "Can you upgrade this?"

"I think so, but I'll need equipment." She states, at least our chances of going home slowly rises.

"I'm pretty sure the tower has enough equipment to upgrade this." Cyborg smiles and he and Max leave to work on upgrades. I see Chelsea slip away from us and walk towards the pink hair girl and a blonde guy... Is the the pink hair lady Mrs. Cunningham? I suppose the blonde guy is Mr. Cunningham. I can see the resemblance between Chelsea and her mother, but she definitely got her hair from her father!

"Aren't you going to take off the cowl?" I look at Dana and, what the hell, I decide to take off the cowl for my girlfriend and it's not like they're going to recognize me anyways.

"I suppose so." I intertwine my fingers with her delicate ones. And we walk towards the glass overlooking the beautiful ocean.

***BBTT***

After Max and, if I'm not mistaken, her dad, Mr. Gibson begin to modify this disc shaped time traveling device, I move away from the group and walk towards-towards my teenage mother and I have to assume this was the guy that she labeled her 'high school sweetheart.' But the underlying question is: is this blonde haired, lime green eyed young adult my father?

I guess it was after my birth that my father had passed away and every time I tried getting information from my mom, she would always deflect the question and try to go to another subject. The times she did reveal any information about my father, it was just vague things that I couldn't fit the pieces together. Her responses forever left me with more questions than answers! There's also no need for me to reveal anything about their futures; sometimes, I don't know what my mom sees in that excuse for a man that she married!

I suppose I started questioning whether or not that my 'dad' was really my dad and the answers that my mom gave me kinda confirmed that I wasn't his daughter.

I sit next to them, my mom on the right and my dad on the left and somehow, this feels right. Just seeing her with a genuine smile warms me up, even brings me close to tears, but I manage to refrain them. They look at me with an extreme interest and I wave my hand at them saying, "Hi."

My mom answers first, "Hello stranger." I kind of giggle, only ironic. My dad only offers me a wave. Maybe a little too shy to talk to me? "Don't mind Jericho!" Jericho? How come I didn't get a schway name? "He's mute." So that's why you taught me sign language!

I motion my hands so they could copy what I'm going to say, "My name's Chelsea." And my dad nodded at what I was saying.

My mom, on the other hand, was shocked that I knew how to communicate with sign language. "Your name is beautiful!" She admitted, well one of you named me so it had to be approved by one of you two, "My name is Kole." Oh my goodness, my parents are so lame! How come they get schway names and I don't?

"Both of your names sound schway." I say out loud and in hand motion.

"Schway?" My mom says while looking at my dad, both confused to what I just said. "Chelsea, what does 'schway' mean?"

"Schway... Y'know..." Goodness, just explaining the word schway is already hurting my brain! "Y'know that song is so schway." I hope that helps out.

I feel someone tap my shoulders and the person who touched my shoulder is my dad, who motioned the word 'cool' and I nod, I guess that word will associate with schway. "Does everyone in the future speak that way, even the adults?" He asks through sign language.

"Well, all of the teenagers and kids and some of the adults." I admit while telling my future parents what the word means.

I see my dad move his fingers around, making the a sentence. "Why do you look so familiar?" He questions, rubbing his chin.

I have to deflect this question so I respond back to him, "Maybe I look like a famous actress?" I hope this little ploy will work.

He shrugs his shoulders and answers back, "Maybe you're right." I smile, at least my I've stalled my parents from discovering the truth.

"I have to ask, which famous actress do I look like?" Advance the conversation further.

They look at each other and shrug and mom says, "I think you look like Tara Strong."

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Even though I have no idea who Tara Strong even is.

* * *

"Okay, we're done!" Max announces and I'm a little sad that my conversation with my parents is going to be over, but I'm glad I had the chance to get to really know them better.

I look at them and I guess I'll go back to my boring old, future mom and miss her maybe rare personality (which I hope isn't the case). What happened to you, mom? What made you lose this personality? Most importantly, what really happened to my dad? Well, I suppose I do have to talk to my older mom when I return to the future.

My mom grabs my hand and opens my palm; she begins to concentrate on her open hand and I see crystals forming from thin air. Eventually the crystals formed into one pretty crystal. "For you to remember this day." She smiled at me, "And to remember us by, wherever you come from, Chelsea."

I close my hand and lovingly hug my mom, trying to keep my emotions in check to prevent any slip ups to their futures, "Thank you." Then, I move towards my father and give him a tight hug. I release him from my hug and I begin to go towards my friends, but I stop myself and turn to my parents and smile, "I hope you a great future together!" Knowing that our future is a complete 180!

A man named Cyborg shoots the time machine from his arm-cannon and opens up a spot in the future and everyone except Terry and Dana walk through it. I wonder we're going to end up.

***BBTT***

Someone's hand touches my shoulder - which stops me from going through the portal - and I turn my head around to see that Robin has stopped from leaving. He looks a little desperate and everyone looks at him, "You said you're from the future, right?" I nod, "Is Bruce still alive?" I nod again. He looks a little nervous about asking me his next question, but he continues, "H-has Bruce said anything about me?"

I turn my body to look at him, "He has nothing but the highest praise and respect for you." I tell him the truth and Dana and I walk through the portal and enter the Batcave. I turn around to see the portal has closed and focus my attention to my group looking a little excited to know we're at the Batcave.

"So this is the legendary Batcave!" Nelson exclaims admiring the cave's long-running history.

Shortly after Nelson's letting out his inner-child, a man with a robotic arm aims his weapon at us, "Who are you?" He glares at us.

Max walks in front of us and walks closer to the man, "Daddy, it's me, Max!" The man dropped his weapon and started wearing a relieved look on him.

"I'm sorry, sweety." He hugged his-his daughter?

"Uh, I'm confused." I admit and I receive a Jethro style slap to the head by my girlfriend. "Ouch, what was that for?" I demand.

"You don't recognize her dad?" She responds and I take a good look at the man who looks exactly like Cyborg... Okay, I get it now.

"Cyborg is her dad?" I question and he nods at me.

"I knew it!" Chelsea states and looks at human form of Cyborg, "Is my mom here?" She asked so kindly.

He nods, "Yes," and points towards the area where she's at and Chelsea quickly strolls to the area.

We follow suit and I ask a question to an older Cyborg, "I take it you remember us from the past?"

"Well, not exactly. It just took time to see resemblance." He states and I see Chelsea hugging her mom. Yup, it's the pinkette from the past. As we neared the area, I see more figures pop out more. One of them is Bruce Wayne for sure; but I notice a red and green smiling cat pattern on the person's mask with green ninja attire. Hold on, what's my mom doing here?

"Mom what are you doing here?" I demand almost angry at the fact that Bruce has dragged her into this.

"Terry, I'm glad that your safe, but there's something you should know." She looks nervous.

"What is it?" I want her to rush with whatever she has to tell me.

"I'm not your real mom."

I start shaking my head sideways and I refuse to belive this revelation, "That can't be true!"

"But it is." I hear Bruce's voice.

"What did you do?!" I face Bruce and walk close to him and I ask him again, "What did you do!" But this wasn't a question: it was demand.

"For the most part: nothing but help develope your skills as a detective and a crime fighter." He comments back.

I stare at the ground and look at my step-mom, "If you're not my mom, then who is?"

"Diana Wayne." She simply answered and I look at Bruce.

"Wasn't she your wife before she died."

He takes a huge breath, "Here's the thing: I'm not Bruce, I'm Damian Wayne. His son."

My eyes widen, "But there was a report saying Damian Wayne died twenty years ago!"

"That was just a ploy to trick this regime and it's been working for a long time."

"If you're his son, then why do you look so old?"

"The cloning process has been deteriorating for me, as a result I started aging faster in my mid-twenties."

I nod at him, "Since I'm the child of Diana and Bruce Wayne, does that make you my half-brother?" He nods at me. "Why didn't you help my step-mom out?"

"That would be conspicuous and we wanted to avoid anything that would warrant the regime to look into this case. They could've discovered your ties earlier and that would be bad."

"Why would that be bad?"

"Our ties to each other are greater than you imagine." He paused looking at my stop-mom.

"My name isn't really Mary McGinnis either. It's really Stephanie Brown-Drake."

I look at her in disbelief, "Why did you lie me to my whole life?"

"I made a promise to your mother that Tim and I would raise you like you were our son. If that meant lying to you about our past, then it was something we were willing to do!" I'm going on a whim and guess that Warren McGinnis was Tim Drake."

I decide to focus my attention elsewhere, "Damian why did our parents create me?"

"Father didn't." He states, "Amanda Waller and Cadmus helped Diana fertilize a baby. Nine months later, you were born. "

"Then what happened to her because I don't remember seeing her?" I keep press on this issue.

Damian sighed, "She died protecting you." He wasn't as absolute as he was before, which doesn't help the fact that I don't believe him on this part, but I'll go with it.

"Who did she protect me from?"

"From the regime." I couldn't think of any words to say to him.

After a minute of thinking about which question I want to ask, I speak up, "But would I be affected by the same cloning errors like you?"

"No, you wouldn't. The Greek Gods have too much pride to allow you to be affected by this cloning mistake." He states like a fact.

"The Greek Gods?"

"Yes, our mother was an Amazon, which they happened to worship the Greek Gods."

"Wouldn't there be some kind of disagreement about Terry's birth?" Nelson speaks up.

"None of the gods opposed it, seeing that it would benefit them in the long run." Damian responds.

"Why?" He asks.

"They grow weaker and weaker as each day goes by." I see the former pinkette talk. "They accepted it in hopes that Terry would bring some form of balance back into everyone's lives."

"Then why did you send us into the past?" I request.

"So we can improve on the time machine." Cyborg answered. "Just recently, we discovered the exact point in time to stop this regime from taking over in the first place!" He announces.

"When can I stop him?" I ask while getting my body ready for another adventure.

"You're not going." Damian started, "rather we're going to send this information to my younger self-"

"So our younger selves can go into the past to stop him!" The masked person speaks up.

"Who are you?" Dana asks.

"I wouldn't expect you to remember me," the person lifted up her mask revealing to us that she is a woman (probably in her mid to late-thirties), "but I'm your older sister, Lian Harper."

"I-I don't have an older sister!" Her face rejects the idea of having an older sister.

"That's because I told your step-parents to not mention anything to you regarding your past."

"How do you know them?"

"I was the one who gave them to you and I would pay visits to you when you were still a baby." Any other bombshells?

"Why didn't you want to be apart of my life?"

"I would've broken the promise I made to our mother."

"What promise was that?"

"To give you a better life." The woman known as Lian paused, "She knew that we weren't able to give you the life you deserved so she gave you up for adoption."

"Then why tell us all these news?" I ask interrupting anything other revelations that might pop up.

"Because our actions of sending you to the past would make you realize certain events, like Chelsea and Max meeting their Titan parents." Damian answered. "Vic, can you prepare the information to send to our past selves." And Cyborg starts to collect items and double checks them to make sure that they are the right ones.

"I thought you had the time machine beforehand?" Max questions.

Her dad speaks up, "The time machine you saw was simply a trophy from when we fought Warp. And we had no real use for it so we let it collect dirt. Since we used it to help you return to the future, I began to invest my time to make sure this survived the war, and I created another one so our younger selves can use." He shows us the same but updated time machine. "I'll send you back about 17 years into the past. Make sure you leave all the files on my table." He gives a folder containing everything they know.

"Dad?" Vic looks at his daughter, "Can I write the reasons why I lied to you, back in the Tower?"

He took about a minute to think, "Yes you may. Chelsea, do you want to write a letter for younger mom?" I didn't take her a minute to come up with an answer as she went towards Max. They started writing their letters to their parents.

After they were done writing their letters, they added it to the folder that Vic handed it to me. Vic attaches his updated time traveling device and aims it at an open space, "You only have a minute to get in and get out! Don't waste the time you have!" His arm forms into a cannon and he fits the machine into the end of the cannon and fires, "Go!" He yells and I enter the portal. With one small step I take inside the portal, I take one giant leap into the past.

Whoa! I thought the life I live was terrible, but this is worse! Most of the buildings I see have either been destroyed or skeletons of its former selves. The clouds block the energizing sun and debris is everywhere! No signs of hope anywhere. I see the table that Vic was talking about and I place everything down, "I thought I had it worse, but this is- this is just hopeless." I sigh at this unfortunate fact.

Then I hear someone getting out of bed and I can feel them looking at me. "Who are you?" He sounds like Vic, but younger. I think this is the part where I travel back. I look behind me and I start running. I let my boosters take over and I open my wings to fly back to my timeline.

As I resurface to the cave and the portal closes behind me, "What do we do now?" I ask.

"We wait and hope the past changes." Damian states.

* * *

**A/N: I've posted the sequel to this story (_Plans of a Better Tomorrow) _or if you want to, you can read the main story (_A Stolen Future)_.**


End file.
